


Muscle Memory

by canthelpmyselves



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, M/M, Oblivious Barry Allen, POV Leonard Snart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-07 11:39:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15907542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canthelpmyselves/pseuds/canthelpmyselves
Summary: Len is infatuated with his neighbor who is, unfortunately, the most oblivious guy he's ever met.





	Muscle Memory

**Oblivious  
[uh-bliv-ee-uh s]   
adjective   
1\. unmindful; unconscious; unaware **

Barry Allen was the very definition of the word. His parents say he has an artist’s soul. His best friend, Iris, calls him a dreamer. His roommate, Caitlin, thinks it is because he is ‘Right Brain’ inclined. Most agreed, though, that Barry Allen is also adorable, sweet and tenderhearted, which more than made up for him being the most absentminded person they ever met.

(If you asked Barry why he was so oblivious, he would just stare at you, confused, and wonder if he had forgotten your birthday or something.)

Barry tended to be pretty easy-going. He rarely got upset about anything. That included his love life. At age 24 he already had plenty of exes, mostly because his partners had a tendency to end things right around the third date. You couldn’t really blame them. It’s hard dating someone who forgets to even show up to dinner because they were distracted by a mime in the park.

(Yeah. That actually happened.)

Barry knew the failures in his private life were his own fault. After all, almost everyone he had ever dated had said so. He just didn’t get worked up about it because he’d never dated anyone long enough to get emotionally invested. He was too busy with the graphic novels he worked on, more attached to his art than his dates, to worry about much beyond deadlines.

(Even those were just a passing concern. He was a little worried about his writing partner, Harry. He seemed to have developed a propensity for ulcers.)

So, it was no surprise to anyone that Barry didn’t realize he had a boyfriend until it was pointed out to him.

*** 

Len Snart had a fairly good life. At age 13 he was hired to model some skateboarding equipment by a photographer friend of his step-mother. Within four months he was a highly sought out model, thanks to several popular magazine ads. Runway shows, music videos and commercials soon followed. By the time he was 18, he was fairly well known, even by people who didn’t follow fashion. Len knew the fashion industry was cut-throat, so he played it safe and lived modestly, saving every penny he could so that by the time he was 25, he had a good sized fortune and was able to retire and do something he always dreamed of. 

He went back to college and got a business degree. Then he bought a bar and remodeled the place so it was just like the one his grandfather had owned. He wanted it to be a family type place with simple, but good food, an antique jukebox that played 45 records and friendly waitstaff. He even lived in the office above the bar so he was always on hand for any problems or decisions.

Eventually his sister, Lisa and his cook, Mick, convinced him to find a real apartment or house. They said it was sad for a thirty-two year old to live above the bar. Len decided on a condo. Preferably one within walking distance of his baby, The Waverider (named after his grandfather’s old fishing boat).

He noticed Barry the day he moved in. It was his shirt that initially caught Len’s eye. It was blue with a picture of an old NES game cartridge that read ‘Blow Me’ underneath. He’d always had a weakness for cute and nerdy and Barry was certainly that. About the same height as Len, Barry had flyaway chestnut hair, doe eyes behind square glasses and the most kissable looking mouth he’d ever seen. He was slender, with long legs and fantastic hands. 

They first met at the elevator. Sort of. Len and Mick were bringing in a dresser when Barry came up behind them, sorting his mail. He stopped, blinked a couple of times and then walked away without a word.

Just about the time they got the dresser to the condo, the stairwell door opened up and Barry walked into the hall. Len’s eyes zeroed in on the younger man and he smiled widely. “Hello.”

Barry had looked at him with a distracted air and nodded. “Hi.”

“I’m Len,” he said, holding out his hand. “Len Snart. This is my friend, Mick Rory. I’m moving in.” He gave Barry a wink and smile.

Barry nodded and shook his hand. “Barry Allen.” Then he unlocked his door and went inside. Len stared at the closed door across from his in surprise. Beside him Mick snorted and began maneuvering the dresser inside. 

Now, Len wasn’t vain, but he also wasn’t used to being ignored, and he definitely wasn’t going to let a cutie like Barry get away. He spent the next few days subtly asking the other residents of the building about the young man. Len soon discovered the artist was something of a legend in the neighborhood.

Barry once worked during a fire. Seriously. The condo above him caught fire and while everyone else evacuated, Barry kept drawing, slightly annoyed by the alarms, but too focused on his work to worry about them. It wasn’t until a fireman was searching for any stragglers that they found him. He’d been slightly peeved about being dragged from his workroom before he could finish the panel he was working on.

Mrs. Owens from the first floor told him that Barry once deposited a check into his bank account in the middle of a robbery. He walked in, without noticing the three men in masks waving guns around, went straight up to one of the tellers and said he needed to make a deposit. The thieves were so stunned, they actually let him. It helped that Barry was pretty polite to the thieves and said ‘thank you and good luck’ when they let him leave once he was done.

Grady, the building’s doorman, told the story of how Barry ended up with a roommate. Caitlin had come home from work early one day and caught her boyfriend cheating. Essentially homeless at that point, the young woman was sitting at a table in a coffee shop, searching the paper for apartments when someone bumped into Barry, making him drop his coffee on her paper. He apologized sincerely and bought her a new paper. Upon discovering her situation, despite the fact that he didn’t know Caitlin at all, he suggested she stay a few days in his spare room until she found a place.

Normally Caitlin would have run the other way from a strange man offering her a bed for the night. However, there was something so intrinsically innocent and pure about Barry that she found herself trusting him. Still, she took the precaution of slipping her canister of mace into her jacket pocket and followed him to the condo. Her name was added to the mailbox the next morning. When Barry's sister, Iris, found out he had a roommate (about five weeks later), she asked how they met. In true Barry Allen form, he couldn’t remember.

Len quickly became obsessed with his new neighbor. Not just because Barry was attractive, but because he was just so... so... fascinating! He began buying the graphic novel series Barry worked on. While not a big fan of fantasy stuff, he could admit the artwork was incredible. He tried to draw Barry into conversation every time they met. He even began knocking on Barry’s door, asking for recommendations for coffee shops, cafes and dry cleaners in the area just for a chance to talk to him. It took five meetings before Barry began recognizing him. 

(And wasn’t that a blow to the ego!) 

They had been neighbors for two months when Len asked Barry over for dinner. Len was feeling pretty smug about finally gaining Barry’s attention when he said yes. Then came the agreed upon time and no Barry. After half an hour Len went across the hall and knocked loudly. It was Caitlin who answered. When Len asked where Barry was, she rolled her eyes and let him in.

“Barry!” she called loudly. “Len’s here!”

A full minute passed before Barry came out of his workroom, looking confused. “Yes?”

Len was understandably upset. “We’re supposed to be having dinner,” he growled.

Barry blinked a couple of times. “That’s not until Friday.”

“Today is Friday,” Len pointed out.

A couple more blinks and Barry turned and walked into his bedroom. Len looked at Caitlin for help. She just shook her head and went back to watching TV. A moment later Barry came back out of his bedroom, having changed out of his ink-stained shirt and sweatpants and into jeans and a sweatshirt that said ‘Never use a big word when a diminutive one will suffice’.

Len lead the way across the hall, wondering what he had gotten himself into. They ate, talked a little about Len’s bar, The Waverider, and Barry’s latest work. It was a little stilted, being their first real date. In anyone else’s mind, dinner would have been declared a disaster and they would have written Barry off. Len was too stubborn for that. 

He began asking advice from Caitlin, Iris and even Harry (who was in the middle of sucking down a bottle of milk of magnesia as their deadline approached). They all said the same thing. Muscle memory. Barry survived by routine. Once something was ingrained in him, he never forgot it. So, Len began laying the foundations for new routines. 

Every Wednesday he dragged Barry to his bar. They had a couple of beers while Len worked on payroll, then they had dinner in the booth closest to the bar’s exit. On Sundays he cooked and then would go grab Barry so they could eat and watch a movie. The first time Barry showed up at the bar without prompting, Len did an internal victory dance. 

(He definitely didn’t fist pump when Barry went to the restroom, no matter what the staff said!)

Len continued taking things slowly, adding new routines by degrees. The first time he held Barry’s hand, the younger man looked embarrassed. When Len asked what was wrong, Barry shyly promised he wasn’t going to get lost at the market. Len had just smiled and said he liked keeping Barry close. That earned him a smile and blush. Barry didn’t object again. Eventually he began reaching for Len’s hand automatically whenever they left the building.

Cuddling took a little longer. Len started by just laying his arm across Barry’s shoulders during movie night, but Barry had pulled away and scooted to the other end of the couch. Len waited two weeks before trying again. This time he moved closer to Barry and took his hand. Halfway through the movie Barry began to relax and Len got up for a drink. When he sat back down, he sat beside Barry, their legs brushing. Barry tensed but he didn’t pull away, continuing to hold Len’s hand. Little by little he got Barry used to sitting close together.

A few more weeks went by before Len saw real progress. Barry had just finished a large side project for Heavy Metal Magazine (which Len totally did not subscribe to just so he could get those issues) and was exhausted. Midway through the meal he was yawning and his shoulders drooped. Len suggested an early night, but Barry waved off his concerns. Twenty minutes into the movie, though, Barry was asleep, his head ending up in Len’s lap. During one of the movie’s high octane car chases Barry woke up and blinked up at Len sluggishly.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, sitting up. Len assured him that he hadn’t minded. Barry had smiled sweetly and laid his head on Len’s shoulder while the movie finished. When he walked Barry to his door and said goodnight, Barry stunned Len by leaning in and hugging him close, thanking him for being so understanding. 

(Mick snickered over the way he grinned like a love-sick teenager all the next day, which earned Mick a smack to the back of his head.)

Len was feeling pretty confident. Barry no longer needed reminding to come for dinner or to the bar. The only fly in the ointment was that they hadn’t gotten any further than hand holding and cuddling. Kissing Barry was where Len’s luck ran out.

The first time he tried, he was just leaning closer when his front door slammed open and his sister burst in, crying loudly about her cheating boyfriend. By the time he got Lisa calmed down, Barry was gone. 

The second time was at Len’s bar. They were on their way to the car when Len noticed how the moonlight reflected off Barry’s eyes, making them glow ethereally. He had his hand on Barry’s waist, about to pull him closer when someone yelled Barry’s name. Len was not happy when a handsome blonde man hurried over and threw his arm around Barry’s shoulder, tugging him close. Barry returned the hug briefly before pulling away and introducing Len to his previous neighbor, Oliver Queen. By the time he managed to pull Barry away from the man, Len was too tightly wound to attempt a kiss.

The third time was interrupted when Mick stumbled into the office, drunk as a skunk, and almost knocked Barry into the wall. The fourth was at the farmer’s market where Len was stung by a bee and had to go to the hospital for an epinephrine shot. Len was beginning to wonder if he was doomed to a life of celibacy.

***

It had been five months, three weeks and six days since their first date. Len was in the office interviewing a potential new bartender when his best waitress, Shawna, knocked. She hesitantly informed Len that Barry had arrived (a little early for once) but that there might be a problem. Len was immediately out the door and scanning the main room. He quickly spotted Barry who was pressed tight against the wall near the pool tables. Leaning over him was a man Len despised, Mark Mardon, owner of Weathertop, a bar across town. 

Len stomped across the bar, drawing the attention of several regulars, and shoved between Mark and Barry. “What the hell are you doing here, Mardon?” he growled.

The taller man grinned wickedly, looking over Len’s shoulder at Barry. “Just making friends, Snart,” he smirked. 

“Make friends elsewhere,” Len snapped, reaching back and grabbing Barry’s hand. 

Mardon chuckled darkly. “Heard ya had a new toy. He’s a pretty one.”

Len’s cool evaporated instantly. “Stay the fuck away from my boyfriend,” he warned before stomping away, pulling Barry across the bar and into the office.

Behind him Barry made a strangled sort of sound. Len quickly looked over his shoulder, worried Barry was scared or hurt. Barry’s eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. “B-boyfriend?” he squeaked. “M-me?”

Len stopped moving and turned to face Barry. “Yeah,” he said slowly. He tensed as Barry’s expression turned to dismay. Shit! Had he misread everything? Did Barry just want to be friends? But… but they cuddled! They had date nights! Dammit, Barry was his!!!

Barry fidgeted a little before looking chagrined. “How long have we been dating?”

Len quickly relaxed, realizing Barry wasn’t objecting, just confused. He smirked at the younger man and placed his hands on Barry’s waist. “Almost six months.”

Barry frowned thoughtfully, head tilting to the side. “Really?”

“You didn’t notice?” Len teased. In truth he had expected something like this. Well, not this exactly, but he had anticipated that Barry wouldn’t remember their first date. Still, he couldn’t be upset with Barry. He had known from the beginning that Barry was oblivious. 

Barry looked sheepish for a moment. “I thought maybe you liked me, but since no one else ever stayed for long, I wasn’t going to jinx it by asking.”

Len chuckled and pulled Barry closer, encouraged by how compliant the artist was being. “Barry, you’re adorable,” he whispered before closing the distance and finally getting that first kiss.

***

Three days after Barry discovered they were dating, he asked why they had never had sex. Len was so stunned by Barry’s blunt question, he explained the routine system. Barry had huffed with annoyance and flat out told Len that if he had just said what he wanted, things would have moved along a lot faster.

Len eyed Barry suspiciously. “Sooo, if I asked you to stay the night…?”

Barry shrugged calmly. “I need to go get my toothbrush.”

Len’s jaw dropped. “Wait! So, if I had told you we were dating months ago…?”

“I’m not that oblivious,” Barry said, rolling his eyes. “I just don’t get subtlety. I can’t read minds, Len. If you want something from me, you have to tell me, otherwise I don’t notice.”

“You didn’t notice the first time I asked you for dinner,” Len grumbled.

“You asked if I wanted to try your lasagna,” Barry corrected. “You never said it was a date.”

“Caitlin told me you once forgot a date because you got distracted watching a mime!” Len defended.

Barry blushed lightly. “In my defense, he was a really good mime. Much more entertaining than the philosophy major Iris had set me up with. It’s more fun watching a mime fake drown than listening to someone pick apart Aristotle. I like you more than mimes.”

Len crossed his arms, feeling pretty defensive at how wrong he’d been about Barry. “Well, you didn’t like cuddling with me.”

Barry’s blush deepened. “I thought we were just friendly neighbors. I didn’t want you to see my erection and get upset with me.”

Now it was Len blushing. “Erection?” he whispered.

Barry nodded shyly. “That’s why I always wear big sweaters around you, so you won’t see.”

Len stared at Barry for several seconds before swallowing and clearing his throat. “Barry?”

“Yes, Len?”

“Go get your damn toothbrush!”


End file.
